Cardiac sonographer vs registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer

The differences between cardiac sonographers and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cardiac sonographer and a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer. Additionally, a cardiac sonographer has an average salary of $79,641, which is higher than the $72,999 average annual salary of a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer.

The top three skills for a cardiac sonographer include patients, registry and RDCS. The most important skills for a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer are ARDMS, m-mode, and echocardiogram.

Cardiac sonographer vs registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer overview

	Cardiac Sonographer	Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
Yearly salary	$79,641	$72,999
Hourly rate	$38.29	$35.10
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	10,472	8,970
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Associate Degree, 54%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Cardiac sonographer vs registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer salary

Cardiac sonographers and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cardiac Sonographer	Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
Average salary	$79,641	$72,999
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $116,000	Between $42,000 And $124,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Washington Hospital Healthcare System	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between cardiac sonographer and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer education

There are a few differences between a cardiac sonographer and a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer in terms of educational background:

	Cardiac Sonographer	Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Associate Degree, 54%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medical Technician
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Cardiac sonographer vs registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer demographics

Here are the differences between cardiac sonographers' and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographers' demographics:

	Cardiac Sonographer	Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cardiac sonographer and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer duties and responsibilities

Cardiac sonographer example responsibilities.

Manage and operate the daily operations and supervision of the radiology ultrasound departments.
Perform diagnostic testing including echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms, bubble studies, carotid dopplers and venous dopplers.
detect blood clots (deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the major veins of the legs or arms.
Experience with m-mode , 2D, Doppler calculations.
Create detail preliminary reports via a PACS system.
Provide data collection, and entering for the QA.

Registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer example responsibilities.

Used EMR to view, confirm and change test orders and schedule patients for exams.
Maximize patient satisfaction by customizing exam room to ensure patient comfort; consistently request by returning patients to provide follow-up care.
Coordinate patient schedules with cardiac stress and nuclear departments.

Cardiac sonographer vs registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer skills

Common cardiac sonographer skills

Patients, 15%
Registry, 8%
RDCS, 7%
ARDMS, 7%
Echocardiogram, 7%
Patient Care, 7%

Common registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer skills

ARDMS, 53%
M-Mode, 11%
Echocardiogram, 10%
RDCS, 9%
Pacs, 5%
EKG, 5%

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Cardiac Sonographer vs Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer

Updated January 8, 2025

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